Special Post for Glen

By popular demand:

Glen, as well as a number of others, have clamored for pictures of fish. So without further ado:


Also, I want my bonus points, so here's some pictures of a bear eating a salmon:

I do actually work

It's been suggested by several people that I'm not actually clerking for a judge up here and instead spend all my time going on hikes. While that would be fan-tastic, it is unfortunately not true.

My job has actually been quite fun and interesting so far (it is, however, work -- let's not get carried away here). The judge is very easy going, likes to chat and has been giving me a lot of freedom in my assignments. Our judicial assistant is incredibly helpful and very friendly.

I currently have a rather large office to myself. It's an old jury deliberation room, so I have lots of space. It used to be shared by two clerks, but my predecessor's officemate decided that she wanted more privacy and so she moved down the hall to a much smaller room with no windows. I feel kinda bad that I'm benefiting from that, but not too bad.


My windows look North towards Knik Arm (part of Cook Inlet) and Denali. On a clear day, like today, you can clearly see both Denali and Mount Foraker. In the panorama above, the Chugach Mountains are on the right and the Boney Building (where Callie works at the Court of Appeals) is on the left.

I also get a daily airshow courtesy of the US Air Force. F-15s, F-22s and any number of cargo jets land each day at Elmendorf.

There's a pretty good selection of restaurants and cafes around the area that cater to the local office workers and lawyers (of which there are a LOT around).

All in all, it's a pretty nice place to work.

Kesugi Ridge in Denali State Park

This last weekend we went on what was one of the prettiest hikes that I have ever been on. Denali State Park is at the southeast corner of Denali National Park. We hiked from the Ermine Hill trailhead, up over Ermine Hill, down into another smaller valley and then back up onto K'esugi Ridge. From there we headed southwest and down to Byer's Lake where we had rented a public use cabin.

The trip was planned by Lea and some of us clerks were lucky enough to tag along. Friday after work MK and Lea picked Callie and I up at the courthouse and we headed straight out of town to drive the approximately 140 miles north to the park. Once there we unloaded the car and let a very antsy Jackson (MK's dog) out of the back. From the parking lot it was a short half-mile walk to the cabin.

The cabin was fantastic. It was pretty much brand new, had a great view from the porch across Byer's Lake facing K'esugi Ridge, and was very well appointed inside. We had four bunks (two of which were double-wide), a table that sat 6, a prep/cooking table with built in tiles to put stoves on, and a woodburning stove. The cabin was also wired so that people could hike (snowmobile?) in a generator and power lights and a few outlets. Alaska likes their public cabins to be posh. No roughing it for us!

That night we chowed down on tasty-bites and sat around the campfire.

The next morning we met up with Jeff (a doctor who does contract work in various small towns around Alaska), Liz (a clerk), and Megan (a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News). Between Jeff with his MD and Liz, who was a NOLS mountaineering instructor and WFR, we were pretty well set up for outdoor and safety knowledge. Liz had also brought her dog Griz, so we had two canine companions on the trip. Unfortunately Jeff's dog, Kira, had torn her cruciate ligament, so she couldn't join us on the hike.

We caravaned over to Ermine Hill and set out at a bit after 9. The total distance of the hike was about 18 miles or so.
The start of the trail wound along a creek and through some gorgeous forest lit up with fall color. Then we began the switchbacks up Ermine Hill. Each bend gave us a better view out across the Fountain River valley to the snow-topped Alaska Range. The valley was dotted with yellow alder trees interspersed between the evergreen spruce.

We were spoiled with some fantastically sweet blueberries on the hike up. It was definitely a surprise that despite all the berry goodness around us, we spotted no bears the entire hike. Maybe the dogs running around gave warning to the bears (and moose) that people were about.

At the top of the hill we found a lake with a great view and then as we crossed over to the south side of the hill there were some fantastic boulders that got us talking about Joshua Tree.
All the elevation we had gained was quickly lost as we descended back into the forest. The trail crossed a number of creeks and we walked across bogs on bridges made of single 2x8 boards which were floating on three foot lengths of 8x8s.

Again we started to climb and were finally rewarded with our first views of Denali. It's hard to describe the size of this mountain. California has the Sierra, not a mountain range to be sneezed at. The Rockies are spectacular. But a 20,000 foot mountain is something entirely different. In short order we had to ban the use of the word "awesome."

The trail wound its way up the spine of the ridge and some portions that crossed large sections of exposed granite were very reminiscent of the Sierra. Again, we had a pretty much constant vista of Denali in a clear blue sky. I can not stress how lucky we got with the weather.
It was a pretty extended climb to the top of the ridge, past a long lake (the descriptively named "skinny lake") and up a series of false summits. We had decided to have lunch when we reached the top, and each tease of the top seemed to make us that much hungrier.

Finally we decided that we'd reached the point where it was no longer fun to keep walking without a food stop and we crossed some tundra to get a great view of the mountain for our lunch. I was struck by how much the flat tundra on the top looked like the views of the Yorkshire Dales. I half expected to see James Herriot getting out of his car to look at a cow suffering from stagnation at lunch (my parents will get this).

From the real top we started the long, slow descent along the spine of the ridge. Here we were able to make good time and really eat up the miles. The tundra was dotted with lakes and here we could just look right at any time and see Denali.

The trail back down to Byer's Lake split from the ridge trail and several of us remarked that the view from this point was one of the prettiest sights we'd ever seen. The ridges between us and the mountain were covered with bright yellow trees that seemed to glow in the setting sun. The valley was also lit up and the mountain was thrown into sharp relief by the light. Despite the fact that I was at the back of the group and didn't want to fall too far behind, I just had to stop and soak in some grandeur.

The rest of the descent once we got back below the tree-line was a bit of a rush as we tried to beat the dark back to the cabin. We just made it after almost 12 hours of hiking. It was a long, but rewarding day.

That night the seven of us crowded into the cabin with our three dogs and had a sore but merry time with food and beer. Jeff was kind enough to bring us two large jugs from the Haines Brewing Company. I was already a fan of this guy, but that cemented his status as one of the cooler people up here. Dinner was pasta with salmon cooked into the sauce. The salmon was donated by Lea and she had caught when she visited Kodiak earlier this year. She also brought along some salmon that she had smoked. This also cemented her status in the pantheon of bad ass new Alaskan friends. (I'm noticing that beer and food seem to be the way to my heart).

The next morning we awoke a bit sore, but ready to enjoy a little quality time at the lake. A leisurely breakfast and some fetch time with Jackson made for a fun time.

The drive back to Anchorage went by quickly. The wait at the Noisy Goose restaurant did not go by quickly. We ended up squeezing six of us into a booth meant for four. Luckily a larger booth opened before our food arrived and the wait-staff took pity on us and let us move.

All in all, it was a great weekend: great weather, superlative scenery, and fun/fabulous/fascinating new friends.

PICTURES:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/KesugiRidge/

Gold-Mint Trail

Last Sunday (9/16), a group of us clerks headed out to the Hatcher Pass area north of Anchorage for a hike. Lila, Callie and I went with MK, Mike, Katey and Lara.

Our original plan was to hike to Bomber Glacier, where a B-29 bomber crashed back in the 50s. The wreckage is still there. However, the road into the trailhead just closed for the season, so we decided to do this alternate hike.

We met up at MK's house in the morning and then drove up past Palmer and into the mountains. The hike left from the Gold-Mint trailhead and followed the Susitna river up the valley. The day was cool and drizzly. But, the leaves had just begun to change, so the bright yellow on the hillsides provided the color that we missed from a normally blue sky.

MK had brought her dog, Jackson, and he showed boundless energy. He would run about 20 yards ahead and then turn back and sprint to us. Overall he probably covered twice the distance we did.

Our group wound its way up the trail, passing beaver ponds and through brush. We had to jump a number of puddles and mud pits. In fact, it was a generally squishy hike and none of us kept dry feet for very long. Luckily it wasn't too cold and the scenery distracted us from our soggy socks.

After skirting the west wall of the valley as we headed north, the valley veered northwest and we dropped down next to the river. At times the trail turned into a creek and we had to pick our way through the low brush on the side of the path. At one point, the local beavers had enlarged their dam over the summer and inundated the trail. We were forced to bushwack and rejoin the trail (after leaping across a stream) some ways up the valley.

Our lunch stop was on a gravel bar and shortly after some of our group decided to turn back so that we could make it back to Anchorage in time to get ready for work on Monday. MK, Lila, Mike, Callie and I decided to press on just a bit further. We eventually decided to make a try at getting to the top of a ridge to our south and get a view into a hanging valley.

We bushwacked off the path, over fields of blueberries and lingonberries. Threading our way up a tumbling stream, we had great views up and down the valley we'd been hiking up. Eventually we made it to the top, more than slightly damp from the brush. The top was a playground of moss and lichen covered boulders. MK's dog, Jackson, was in heaven running around and checking out each crevice.

Mike and Lila headed back down while Callie, MK and I decided to walk along the ridge and then angle back down to the trail. Our path back down was a bit treacherous and we all ended up taking a few slides on our backside. But we made it down safely (and even more wet), met up with Lila and Mike, and headed back to the cars.

All in all it was a great hike, and I'd love to go back to this area to check it out in sunshine.

PICTURES:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/GoldMintTrail

Next post: Denali and Kesugi Ridge!

Biking the Coastal Trail in Anchorage

After staying a bit later than normal at work today (6pm - isn't government work great?), I went for a ride down the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail here in Anchorage. The trail runs most of the northern perimeter of Anchorage -- from North of Downtown, around the airport and then South into Kincaid Park. From there you can link with other trail systems if you are willing to bike a few blocks on surface streets.

I started my ride from our house and crossed the street and creek to get on the Chester Creek Trail. From there it was a short ride out past Westchester Lagoon to the Coastal Trail. I had to navigate between runners and strollers, but it was a gorgeous day (I could see Denali and Mount Foraker from my office for most of the morning before they shrouded themselves in clouds).

The trail heads south right by Knik Arm and then climbs up onto a bluff as it heads around the airport. It was nice to get in a bit of a hill, but I started to realize just how tired my legs still are from our hike yesterday. A post (and LOTS of pictures) on our Sunday trip to Gold-Mint Trail and the Susitna River will be forthcoming.

The sun was gorgeous and the trail wound its way through a deciduous forest with glimpses South out towards Cook Inlet. I finally turned around. I'd like to say it was only because I was worried about running out of daylight, but my legs were more than pleased to know I was heading home.

I was rewarded with my first moose sighting of this entire trip. It's hard to believe that I drove all the way up here, did a backpacking trip on the Kenai Peninsula, hiked a good portion of the Susitna and still hadn't seen a moose, but there you go. I stopped with a bunch of other bikers and we watched the moose completely ignore us and chomp some foliage. When it stuck its head way in the bushes to start walking off up the hill (with its big moose-caboose sticking half out into the trail) we started passing it one by one.

The ride back went quickly. I stopped briefly at Airport Park to snap a few pics of downtown lit up by the sunset. Then I headed home.

-- Interesting Alaska Tidbit --

The locals apparently call the first snowfall to stick on the Chugach "Termination Dust". As in, the dusting signifies the termination of summer. So with the changing leaves (which started turning while I was down in Berkeley for Gene's wedding) and the arrival of the Termination Dust, we have now officially started Fall.

More pictures from this ride can be seen here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/CoastTrail

Signing our lease and backpacking Devil's Pass

I arrived in Anchorage, after a week of driving, on the afternoon of Tuesday the 28th of August. I met up with Callie at a coffee shop (near REI, of course) and we immediately went to go look at a some houses. A house and a condo were right in the area that we wanted to live in: mid-town right by Westchester Lagoon. The house near the Lagoon was nice, but not exactly what we were looking for. The big plus (other than location) was that we could move in immediately. We had both been living out of suitcases for a while, and that was a big draw.

However, Callie had also looked that morning at a house in the Valley of the Moon on Aurora Drive that we both thought looked like it would be nicer to live in. Patience prevailed and we put off a decision until I could look at the house on Aurora the next day. That night we crashed in Girdwood at Callie's friend's house. Girdwood is beautiful. It's right by Alyeska, the largest ski mountain in Alaska.

The next day we met with Linda, our now current landlord, and signed our lease. That was Wednesday morning and we couldn't move in to the house until Saturday. So we decided to go on a backpacking trip. After some intent guidebook scouring, we chose to do the Devil's Pass trail as an out and back trip.

For those of you that want to just skip my description and jump straight to some pictures, here's the link!
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/DevilSPeak

Devil's Pass is on the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage. Check out a map of the town of Cooper Landing, which is right by the start of our hike, here. The Resurrection Pass trail is a longer traverse that runs North/South. We did another trail that leads to a pass that meets up with the southern portion of that traverse.

Our first night we didn't get started until late (it took a while after signing the lease to buy food, pack our bags, and drive down to Cooper Landing). We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant that had a beautiful deck looking out over a lake. The place was pretty cool. Although it had this crazy turkey that was just hanging out on the deck - I assume it was a pet. Towards the end of the meal it decided that it didn't like our waitress and decided to go after her feet. She chased it off.

We finally hit the trail about an hour before sunset. We did the two miles to the first tent site quickly and set up the tent just as it got dark. It was pretty hard to find a flat spot to set up the tent. Luckily there were pretty much no mosquitoes. We were a bit wary of bears, but the site had a bear locker for our food and we were a bit away from where we stored the food.

The next morning we got going quickly so we could get into the sun. The hike up to the pass was actually pretty easy. It was a gentle slope through the forest and then the trees ended and we had great views up and down the valley.

We noticed a lot of moose tracks on the trail and one pile of bear scat, but we never spotted any of the local large mammals.

Once we hit the pass, we were in a gorgeous stretch of tundra dotted with lakes and beaver ponds. The sky was still clear blue and it was gorgeous. We stopped to take a swim in a lake near the pass. It was ridiculously cold. So we instead munched on lingonberries and enjoyed the sun.

Our swim was well timed, because as we descended into the next valley over it started to cloud up. We explored the cabin at devil's pass and then headed for our intended camp site. We arrived and set up the tent just as it started to rain. We threw up my shelter tarp (a great buy!) and tied one side to some trees and staked the other down to make a lean-to. We ate lunch, read books and enjoyed the break while it rained and then hailed.

Once the storm looked to have broken, we took a hike down the valley to see if we could spot some of the other local lakes. We turned back after spotting some cool berries and some beavers, but no close ups of the lakes.

That night it rained more, but we stayed dry in the new tent (Thanks Gene!).

Our next morning was partly cloudy and we did a quick hike up to Resurrection Pass to see what it was like. The pass was not obvious, but the tundra up there was beautiful.

We hiked out with patches of rain chasing us down the valley.

A bit footsore (we both need new boots) we drove over to Hope, a town on the other side of Turnagain Arm from Anchorage. We ate fish and chips, drank a beer, and talked to Carlos. This guy is awesome: he organizes bike races around Anchorage throughout the year. Including a crit on a frozen lake!

We found out that the next morning there was a 109-mile mountain bike called the "soggy bottom ride" that went from Hope, over the Resurrection Pass to Cooper Landing, then back up over Devil's Pass and down to Hope. Crazy.

Our campsite that night was the worst. It was beautiful, but the ground was ridiculously hard and neither of us got any sleep. We could not wait until the morning when we could drive back to Anchorage and move into our new house. Showers never seem so wonderful as when you are at the end of a backpacking trip.

For another description of the trail, check out:

http://www.akhs.atfreeweb.com/Hikes/DevilPass.htm

First Post From Alaska

I finally have settled into Anchorage enough to start posting to this blog.

I am now living right near the Valley of the Moon Park and the community gardens right by the Chester Creek Trail. Anchorage has a great municipal trail system. The Chester Creek Trail runs east/west through town and separates downtown from midtown. We live on the midtown side. The trail hooks up with the Coastal Trail near Westchester Lagoon. The Coastal Trail runs north/south. The northern end runs right past the court house. That means that we can bike to work on a trail that runs through parks and by Cook Inlet.

I share my house with Callie and Lila, two women that I went to law school with who are also clerking in Anchorage. We carpool to work and occasionally cook dinner together. It's nice to live with people that I'm already friends with. It has definitely made the transition to Anchorage much easier.

Anyhow, it's getting a bit late and I have work tomorrow, so I'll keep this short. It's a bit of a transition back to the working lifestyle. I do miss school.

PICTURES:
Here's a link to my pictures from the drive up:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/DriveToAlaska

And here's a link to my pictures of our house. This is before we scored our couches (which we have names Lumpy and Bumpy) and kitchen table.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.r.mckenna/AnchorageHouse